Post your comment

Reader comments

He can start by first offering an official apology for the homophobia and discrimination perpetrated by his Church. Secondly, he can support LGBT people by not opposing gay CPd clergy having physical intimacy and thirdly, support the right of gay couples to have a civil marriage. None of that will be forthcoming, so I fail to see what other support he is considering.

‘ The Anglican Church has not always treated LGBT people “with the respect they deserve.”

Excuse me, Dr. Morgan, but the Anglican church has always disrespected LGBT people and it continues to this very day. Just look at the almost 500 year old history of homophobia perpetrated by the Church. It is his Church that institutionalised it, infesting society as a whole and our Parliamentary system. Even today, prayers are said at the beginning of each session, something that not many are aware of. It has to end and so too should the establishment of religion in England.

He said equal marriage was a step too far. Well then, that only proves his disrespect for LGBT people, blood hypocrite!

“Sadly the Church has not always treated lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people with the respect they deserve” says man who works for an organisation that has fought tooth and nail to prevent LGBT people from being treated equally under the law. His use of a past participle to imply that this homophobic behaviour is all in the past is belied by the continuing anti-LGBT statements and policies of the Anglican church. In other news, water found to be wet.

It is time the church repented for it’s sin in denouncing Gay people as immoral human beings. The hurt that has been caused has led to people committing suicide, causing verbal abuse, not forgetting the physical violence caused through their spoutings of hate against LGBTQ people, the church must take the blame. No wonder the young people of today think that the church is ‘wicked’ !

Maybe Dr. Morgan needs to review the history of the formation of his Church.
From my recollection of reading that history Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII chief minister had buggerie made a criminal offence for the first time in English law so that he could seize the 16th century monastries and abbeys and their wealth for their widespread indulgence in “immoral and criminal acts”, from there it only got worse for the next 440 years.
The Church still will not accept the scientific evidence or even the sight of their own eyes that gay relationships are neither worse or better than straight ones’ and that sexuality whether same or opposite sex is an immutable innate characteristic and is not subject to choice or amenable to change, just like you cannot choose your skin shade or eye colour or your gender. Yet they cling to these prejudiced, and discriminatory beliefs in the face of all evidence of the harm they are inflicting on successive generations with countless damaged lives. Why?

Some rather harsh and uncalled for comments so far. I am surprised that readers have such poor memories and rush to judge. This particular churchman has openly supported gay rights and marriage equality:

personally I find all of the above comment to be an accurate representation of the facts. The only reason for the apparent shift in thinking of the anglican church leaders is self preservation. They have realised, too late, that their biblical view of the world is seen as ridiculous by modern society.

Facts about the church, but this is an article about the opinions of a single archbishop, who does not deserve the criticism. That was my point and it remains valid.

It is right to respond to an attack, but not to turn on someone who is on your side.

Also, there has been active debate in the C of E for as long as I can remember and that goes back to the early 1950s. I have experienced none of the bigotry of which so many are convinced is the norm. It takes time for conservative institutions to change their ideas. Think of the attitudes to women, for example. And there are gays and lesbians who do not support equal marriage. Should we condemn them? I hope not

I owe no loyalty to Anglicanism. The Church has evidenced and demonstrated that it despises LGBT people

The clergy put so much time, effort and money into messing with same sex marriage that the public now know the Church for the hateful pile of vipers it always has been. Same Sex marriage has been the biggest own goal for the Church in years……marvellous!

It might be sad, but this is the response of a people who are routinely attacked and victimized by religious groups who have given themselves some kind of maniacal superiority complex.
These people are dictators, they want to force their will onto others. If we had not fought long and hard to get where we are now in society they would be attacking us in the street just as is happening in Russia.
These people are no more moral than anyone else, many of them far less moral than the average Atheist. They use their religion as a shield to allow them to attack others and force their views – just like any political or religious despot.
THAT is why many have an automatic loathing for anyone religious talking about us and our rights. They have earned that utter hatred and disdain, and they deserve no defense.

I don’t hate them, I do hate what they stand for. These people stand for ignorance, arrogance, bigotry and hatred. They do not deserve my respect.

But why turn automatically on someone who is on your side? That seems a strange response, an indefensible response.

You write of “a people who are routinely attacked”. I am also one of these people. I, too, am enraged when I read about what religious people have to say. I have written letters to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York. I have written to numerous Catholic bishops and archbishops. The Catholics have never bothered to respond. I like to think that they can spot my Jesuit education by my arguments. Certainly the Mormons pick up on that.

I will argue with the religious for as long as they are willing. I am capable of telling Christians that they are not Christian at all. I have never cared whether people like me or not, approve of me or not. I think as I choose and do as I choose. That has been my attitude since i was a child and I hope it won’t change.

Is it not bad enough that these self-righteous religious heads show total ignorance and dictatorial attitudes on a daily basis, that they then have to try to weasel out of it when it becomes too damaging for them?

The religious are failing. They are failing to drum up new business, failing in their indoctrination of minors, failing to keep their churches open or even half full in major cities.

The Atheist services in London often attract a full house for discussion of science etc, while the nearby Christian churches struggle to get ten people through the door.

Religion is out-dated, and they are finally starting to see that they are becoming redundant in our modern societies. This will force them to weaken their bigotry, but I feel it’s too little too late.

They’ll abandon their clear bigotry and start watering it down in the hope of surviving, and it’s becoming an obvious cynical ploy.

Give up, religion is dying, accept that you failed. We do not need you.